Choosing the Path of Faith

Read - Ruth 1:6-22

Introduction

We are at the beginning of the book of Ruth

A short book – A short love story

We looked last week at the setting and the overarching theme of this book

We saw it, in light of the book of Judges and in particular, the dark times of this time in the history of Israel

And, in light of the perpetual cycle, God’s people find themselves in the sin cycle

Sin > Oppression > Repentance > Deliverer > Peace... back to sin

We opened our story, not in the bustling streets of Jerusalem, but in a small town called Bethlehem. Ironically, Bethlehem means "House of Bread". However, during this time, there is a severe famine possibly linked to Judgement over Israel, linking back to the dark times found in the book of Judges...

But, regardless, we find Elimelek, a man from Bethlehem, because of the famine, he takes his wife Naomi and their two sons to the land of Moab

We saw that the crisis came after 10 years of being in this new land

               Elimelek died, and after the 2 sons married, they also died

               Leaving Naomi and her 2 daughters-in-law

As a result, Naomi hears that the Lord has visited His people in Judah by providing food

At last, a glimmer of hope!

So, she decides to return home

But what about Orpah and Ruth, her daughters-in-law?

They are widows too

They stand at a crossroads, faced with a clear choice

What path will they choose?

Do they stay or do they go?

Now, last week, we explored the concept of a covenant – an agreement

So binding that the Hebrew word means ‘to cut’

Signifying the animal cut in half, that the parties must walk through

Acknowledging the punishment for breaking it

And when we think of an Old Testament covenant

               Especially in light of the book of Judges, we need to think of the Mosaic covenant

               The one made between God and His people, Israel, through Moses

The Law – the standard that the people of Israel, as God’s Holy people, were to keep

               And of course, the book of Judges shows us, through the sin cycle, that they can’t

The cycle and the covenant both show us that we have a choice

That choice is not left or right

               But rather, obedience or disobedience

And what we see in this early part of the book is that the daughters-in-law have a choice

               And rather than framing it as ‘obedience’ or ‘disobedience’

               It is framed around loyalty

The choice is whether to stay with Naomi or not

Our situation, when you raise this story up

               In which direction do you choose?

Do we remain disobedient? Or do we change your ways and remain obedient to God?

What path will we choose?

When we choose the path of faith, it is to trust in God's redemptive plan

A plan that ultimately points us to our perfect Redeemer, Jesus Christ

The Bitter Reality and the Call to Return (Ruth 1:6-7)

Naomi, having heard that the famine in Judah has ended, makes the decision to leave Moab and return to her homeland, back to the promised land

This is a practical decision, born of necessity, but also, news that...

“the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them”

Perhaps, if we link the tragedy of the death of her husband and 2 sons to not trusting in God to provide during the famine, you could see this as an act of ‘turning back’ – ‘repentance’, perhaps

Ultimately, she is ready to return to where God's covenant people are

Naomi’s choice to return to Bethlehem, the "House of Bread," represents her return to her haven, her first love, perhaps.

Could this represent her returning to God?

Perhaps, while Moab filled her stomach...

She feels spiritually hungry

How do we act in times of famine?

Do we focus on material things over spiritual fulfilment?

Can material things fill our distance from God?

We don’t have to move to another country as Naomi did –

We can be spiritually distant from God anywhere

Have we stopped trusting God, or have we had a season where God seemed so distant

               How did you get back to God?

               How are you planning to reconnect with God?

It starts by acknowledging our own loneliness and isolation

It takes humility and worship to hear His call to return to Him

To enter His peace

His grace can be found in His presence

Even if it means admitting we took a wrong turn – and going back

It takes a humble heart to turn back, but it is the first step on the path of faith!

The Test of Loyalty and the Parting of Ways (Ruth 1:8-14)

As the 3 women journey back, Naomi,

tries to persuade her daughters-in-law to return to their mothers' homes

She genuinely wishes them well,

praying that the Lord would grant them rest and new husbands

However, beneath this generosity,

The text tells us that there’s a deep bitterness in Naomi's heart

She believes God's hand is against her, and she sees herself as a cursed figure

Orpah, after initial reluctance and tears, makes the rational, practical choice

She kisses her mother-in-law goodbye and returns to her people and her gods

It’s a sad but understandable decision

And based on what appears to be common sense and self-preservation

This is a fork in the road for both daughters-in-law

One path is well-worn, familiar, and seemingly safer, leading back to what you know

The other path, however, leads into an uncertain future

Orpah chose the familiar

She chose the path of practical wisdom,

of returning to what was comfortable and culturally expected

There’s nothing inherently wrong with her decision from a human standpoint, but it reveals a fundamental difference in commitment when faced with hardship

How often have we taken the known route – the path well worn?

How often does uncertainty scare us? After all, the unknown is scary!

But what does this tell us about our trust in God?

While it’s unknown to us, God is all knowing

When we walk in the presence of God, should we be fearful?

We face crossroads in life where we must choose

Do we prioritise comfort, security, and what "makes sense" in the eyes of the world?

Or do we choose a path that might be

harder, less certain, but aligns with a deeper, spiritual calling?

Orpah's choice reminds us that sometimes,

even well-meaning advice or the pull of logical self-interest

can lead us away from God's intended path for us.

What loyalties compete for our heart when the path of faith seems bleak?

The Unwavering Devotion: Ruth's Choice of Faith (Ruth 1:15-18)

But now we come to Ruth

Ruth refuses to leave

Her declaration in verses 16-17

is one of the most powerful statements of loyalty and devotion in all of Scripture

16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 

She chooses Naomi, Naomi’s people, and most profoundly, Naomi’s God

This is a profound commitment to Yahweh, the God of Israel

A commitment rooted in a deep understanding of covenant love

And this is where we are introduced to a magnificent Hebrew word: "Hesed" (חֶסֶד).

It's a word that defies a single English translation

It means much more than just kindness or love.

It encompasses steadfast love, loyal love, covenant love, unfailing kindness,

mercy, and faithfulness.

It’s a love that acts, that endures, that fulfils obligations even when costly or inconvenient

It’s a love that is bound by a deep commitment

Ruth’s resolute commitment to Naomi

despite Naomi’s bitterness and apparent lack of future prospects is a supreme example of hesed

She chooses to act with unwavering loyalty, reflecting the very character of God

This hesed is the bedrock of God's covenant with humanity –

His unfailing, loyal love for His people

What does hesed look like in our lives today?

It's easy to show kindness when things are going well.

But are we willing to demonstrate hesed when it costs us something?

What about when it means standing by a struggling friend,

loving an unlovable neighbour,

or remaining faithful to God when our circumstances are bleak?

Ruth's choice challenges us

Do we truly commit to God and His people with that kind of unwavering, covenantal love?

This is where our faith moves from a theoretical belief to an active,

               Faith in action!

This is where we demonstrate commitment

Our hesed towards others is a reflection of God's abundant hesed towards us

Homework: Read The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant - Matthew 18:21-35

The Return to Bethlehem: Bitterness and Hope (Ruth 1:19-22)

Well, Naomi and Ruth arrive in Bethlehem, and the entire town is stirred by their arrival.

The women exclaim, "Is this Naomi?" But Naomi's response is steeped in despair

20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 

She truly believes the Almighty has dealt bitterly with her

She explicitly states, 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”

Not sure how Ruth took that, after her show of loyalty towards Naomi

But... It’s clear that Naomi’s bitterness clouds her vision

Has that ever happened to you...

Where does our own personal bitterness, our pain, our feelings of emptiness, nullify God's sovereignty for you?

“How could you God?”

Naomi, consumed by her grief, is beyond angry –

She has become bitter towards everything and everyone

Have we clung to our bitterness?

Here is the challenge...

How can we shift our posture?

By changing our direction!

Instead of being away from God, we move towards God, through worship!

Moving into a place where our life encompasses

A steadfast love,

A loyal love,

A covenant love,

Filled with unfailing kindness, mercy, and faithfulness

When we do this, we respond differently to our circumstances

No longer does God's plan seem hidden behind our pain

               Instead, our heart is filled with trust

Why, because we have chosen the path of faith, just as Ruth did

What we see is the hand of God at work

We finish today with the glimpse of hope found in verse 22

22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.

We see it's harvest time,

a sign of hope

The beginning of a new season